I sedom write a bad review. Today is the exception. Last night I had the misfortune of dining at Crab and Fin, and let me tell you, it was an absolute disaster from start to finish.Upon arrival, the host seemed more interested in the tennis match blaring on the television than in acknowledging our presence. After finally tearing his eyes away from the screen, he grunted something about heading upstairs. He pointed in the general direction, completely neglecting to escort us to our table like any decent fine dinning establishment would.Once we were seated, it became painfully apparent that this so-called "fine dining" restaurant lacked any semblance of consideration for dietary restrictions. Shockingly, there wasn't a single entree for vegans or vegetarians on the menu. In this day and age, such oversight is simply inexcusable.As if that wasn't bad enough, our server was an absolute nightmare. Not only was she rude and dismissive, but she couldn't even comprehend a basic order. I explicitly requested that my salad and appetizer be served simultaneously with everyone else's meal, but instead, she brought them out separately and then vanished into thin air when I asked her to rectify the mistake.Speaking of the food, it was a joke. The Caesar salad was drenched in disappointment, with barely a hint of dressing. And don't even get me started on the aubergine appetizer, which arrived at our table ice cold, as if it had been forgotten in the freezer.But wait, there's more! My poor husband dared to order a beer not once, but twice, and guess what? It never materialized. It's as if they were trying to set a new record for incompetence and frankly, our server was downright mean.To add insult to injury, we were celebrating a friend's birthday, and instead of bringing out dessert menus for the whole table, the server inexplicably delivered his dessert first, leaving the rest of us to awkwardly watch him eat while we twiddled our thumbs.Overall, our experience at Crab and Fin was an absolute train wreck. From the apathetic host to the incompetent server and lackluster food, it was a masterclass in how not to run a fine dining establishment. Save yourself the headache and dine elsewhere.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Chris Wall
Definition of a tourist trap. Great location, but I've had better seafood from chain restaurants. Soups were cold, stone crab claws were flavorless and did not seem fresh.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 3
King Feezy
We decided to visit Crab & Fin for dinner on a Wednesday evening during Spring Break around 6:30 pm. The restaurant was packed with a line of people waiting outside the front entrance. We noticed a gentleman who was hosting patrons for the outside patio dining area, and I approached him and asked how long it would be until he could seat a party of two. Although the outside dining area also looked to capacity, he was able to find us a table within minutes.Our waiter, Anthony, was attentive and friendly and was able to suggest some options from the menu that we might enjoy. We started out with the Oyster Tasting, which consisted of 3 different pairs of oysters that were delicious and savory. The sauce it came with added an extra touch of sweetness to the flavor. We also ordered the Pot Harvested Portuguese Octopus, which was the star of the night. The dish was cooked to perfection, with no chewiness, and had a great flavor of smokiness from the grill.For our main dishes, we went with the Mediterranean Bronzini and the Hairman's Reserve Filet Mignon. The Bronzini was tender and was seasoned very nicely. The potoes and green beans were also delicious. The only low point of the night was surprisingly, the filet mignon. Although Anthony had relayed to us that the kitchen is spot on when it comes to the temperature of the meats, the filet mignon was medium well/well done, when I had asked for medium rare. The seasoning on the meat was also not there and was actually kind of bland.I still gave the restaurant 5 stars because I shouldn't have ordered a steak at a seafood restaurant, and all the other dishes were fantastic. The service was excellent, and the ambiance was nice. I would just stay away from the steaks and stick with the seafood!
Wonderful experience. Delicious food, so fresh and the service… Our server Jason was the best, so attentive, friendly and accommodating. The Manager, Frank was wonderful and situated us at the best table available and was courteous and checked on us frequently, so friendly.Highly recommended!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Daniel Bayless
Very nice, upscale restaurant. Our server was excellent! The food was all top-notch.
Seated in private room, server would dissappear for 10 minutes or more, no drink service always out of beverage at the table, Took 48 minutes for food to come out.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
Greg Welsh
I had the crab cake entree and thought it was really under seasoned. They needed some texture also - a little crispiness on the outside. The tuna tataki was good. Shrimp cocktail was as expected. Wine list could use a little diversity in terms of country, but liked the higher end california Pinot.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Ronda D.
Delicious meal. Crepes Aubergine as an appetizer was so very well liked by our table. Thinly sliced with cheese oozing out. Enjoyed it so quickly that we didn't even snap a pic! Each dish was beautifully presented and so tasty. Our whole party enjoyed our meal. We ate inside- which was a nice reprieve from the busy St Armand crowd... but- I wouldn't sneeze at sitting outside on a beautiful night with their pianist....
Great service, wine list and seafood! It is such a treat to be at Crab and Fin! You can't go wrong!!
Rie Bell
Ultimate Bloody Mary is a must have! Fantastic!
Suzanne Keen
Although we are locals from Lakewood Ranch, this was our first visit to this wonderful restaurant. Our meals were delicious and the service by our wonderful server Kristen was impeccable. She was so friendly and helpful. We will certainly be recommending this restaurant to everyone, both locals and visitors.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mediterranean Bronzini
Tami Zima Sebastian
I can not say enough positive things about my family's experience this past weekend at Crab & Fin!!! It was so nice to have incredible food & outstanding service all at same time on same visit!!! Truly made our day and we so appreciate you all!!!I came with my son, daughter in law & two granddaughters(6 & 4). We were sat right away - not because they were not busy - it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon - they were slammed - but the host/floor manager made accommodations and offered us a table 1/2 in shade & 1/2 in sun - which is probably the only reason it was still open - but we didn't mind at all. There were fans and it was not a million degrees out lol.Anthony was our server - THANK YOU for your spectacular service!!!I wish I had gotten the other names of people that assisted us but they were all awesome!!! Anthony was super knowledgeable about the menu, made recommendations, was super patient and accommodating!!!We will definitely be back & definitely ask for Anthony!!!
I sedom write a bad review. Today is the exception. Last night I had the misfortune of dining at Crab and Fin, and let me tell you, it was an absolute disaster from start to finish.Upon arrival, the host seemed more interested in the tennis match blaring on the television than in acknowledging our presence. After finally tearing his eyes away from the screen, he grunted something about heading upstairs. He pointed in the general direction, completely neglecting to escort us to our table like any decent fine dinning establishment would.Once we were seated, it became painfully apparent that this so-called "fine dining" restaurant lacked any semblance of consideration for dietary restrictions. Shockingly, there wasn't a single entree for vegans or vegetarians on the menu. In this day and age, such oversight is simply inexcusable.As if that wasn't bad enough, our server was an absolute nightmare. Not only was she rude and dismissive, but she couldn't even comprehend a basic order. I explicitly requested that my salad and appetizer be served simultaneously with everyone else's meal, but instead, she brought them out separately and then vanished into thin air when I asked her to rectify the mistake.Speaking of the food, it was a joke. The Caesar salad was drenched in disappointment, with barely a hint of dressing. And don't even get me started on the aubergine appetizer, which arrived at our table ice cold, as if it had been forgotten in the freezer.But wait, there's more! My poor husband dared to order a beer not once, but twice, and guess what? It never materialized. It's as if they were trying to set a new record for incompetence and frankly, our server was downright mean.To add insult to injury, we were celebrating a friend's birthday, and instead of bringing out dessert menus for the whole table, the server inexplicably delivered his dessert first, leaving the rest of us to awkwardly watch him eat while we twiddled our thumbs.Overall, our experience at Crab and Fin was an absolute train wreck. From the apathetic host to the incompetent server and lackluster food, it was a masterclass in how not to run a fine dining establishment. Save yourself the headache and dine elsewhere.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Definition of a tourist trap. Great location, but I've had better seafood from chain restaurants. Soups were cold, stone crab claws were flavorless and did not seem fresh.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 3
We decided to visit Crab & Fin for dinner on a Wednesday evening during Spring Break around 6:30 pm. The restaurant was packed with a line of people waiting outside the front entrance. We noticed a gentleman who was hosting patrons for the outside patio dining area, and I approached him and asked how long it would be until he could seat a party of two. Although the outside dining area also looked to capacity, he was able to find us a table within minutes.Our waiter, Anthony, was attentive and friendly and was able to suggest some options from the menu that we might enjoy. We started out with the Oyster Tasting, which consisted of 3 different pairs of oysters that were delicious and savory. The sauce it came with added an extra touch of sweetness to the flavor. We also ordered the Pot Harvested Portuguese Octopus, which was the star of the night. The dish was cooked to perfection, with no chewiness, and had a great flavor of smokiness from the grill.For our main dishes, we went with the Mediterranean Bronzini and the Hairman's Reserve Filet Mignon. The Bronzini was tender and was seasoned very nicely. The potoes and green beans were also delicious. The only low point of the night was surprisingly, the filet mignon. Although Anthony had relayed to us that the kitchen is spot on when it comes to the temperature of the meats, the filet mignon was medium well/well done, when I had asked for medium rare. The seasoning on the meat was also not there and was actually kind of bland.I still gave the restaurant 5 stars because I shouldn't have ordered a steak at a seafood restaurant, and all the other dishes were fantastic. The service was excellent, and the ambiance was nice. I would just stay away from the steaks and stick with the seafood!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Portuguese Grilled Octopus, Grand Oyster Tasting, Sauce, Mediterranean Bronzini
One of my favorite places for lunch and
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Oysters the size of quarters. Fish over cooked.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Wonderful experience. Delicious food, so fresh and the service… Our server Jason was the best, so attentive, friendly and accommodating. The Manager, Frank was wonderful and situated us at the best table available and was courteous and checked on us frequently, so friendly.Highly recommended!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very nice, upscale restaurant. Our server was excellent! The food was all top-notch.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Portuguese Grilled Octopus, Caribbean Yellowfin Tuna Tataki
Seated in private room, server would dissappear for 10 minutes or more, no drink service always out of beverage at the table, Took 48 minutes for food to come out.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
I had the crab cake entree and thought it was really under seasoned. They needed some texture also - a little crispiness on the outside. The tuna tataki was good. Shrimp cocktail was as expected. Wine list could use a little diversity in terms of country, but liked the higher end california Pinot.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Delicious meal. Crepes Aubergine as an appetizer was so very well liked by our table. Thinly sliced with cheese oozing out. Enjoyed it so quickly that we didn't even snap a pic! Each dish was beautifully presented and so tasty. Our whole party enjoyed our meal. We ate inside- which was a nice reprieve from the busy St Armand crowd... but- I wouldn't sneeze at sitting outside on a beautiful night with their pianist....
Restaurantji Recommends
Fantastic meal. This place was our favorite.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chowder
Great service, wine list and seafood! It is such a treat to be at Crab and Fin! You can't go wrong!!
Ultimate Bloody Mary is a must have! Fantastic!
Although we are locals from Lakewood Ranch, this was our first visit to this wonderful restaurant. Our meals were delicious and the service by our wonderful server Kristen was impeccable. She was so friendly and helpful. We will certainly be recommending this restaurant to everyone, both locals and visitors.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mediterranean Bronzini
I can not say enough positive things about my family's experience this past weekend at Crab & Fin!!! It was so nice to have incredible food & outstanding service all at same time on same visit!!! Truly made our day and we so appreciate you all!!!I came with my son, daughter in law & two granddaughters(6 & 4). We were sat right away - not because they were not busy - it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon - they were slammed - but the host/floor manager made accommodations and offered us a table 1/2 in shade & 1/2 in sun - which is probably the only reason it was still open - but we didn't mind at all. There were fans and it was not a million degrees out lol.Anthony was our server - THANK YOU for your spectacular service!!!I wish I had gotten the other names of people that assisted us but they were all awesome!!! Anthony was super knowledgeable about the menu, made recommendations, was super patient and accommodating!!!We will definitely be back & definitely ask for Anthony!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5